This place was far from the protection offered by the dark, damp caves.
It lay exposed to possible enemy eyes. Even so, César did not seem to care. He continued his push-ups with absolute focus. He had already studied the area and consulted Sasha; he knew there were no nearby settlements of potential enemies.
If one ignored the location and looked closely, they would notice that this place did not resemble goblin territory at all.
There were no chaotic screams.
No constant fighting.
Here were the true goblins under César's control, loyal only to him.
"Ninety-nine…
one hundred."
César completed the last push-up and slowly rose to his feet, exhaling the air he had been holding. Sweat ran down his green skin as his breathing gradually steadied.
He approached a thin sheet of water pooled between the rocks and observed his distorted reflection.
Compared to other goblins, his body was different. The prominent belly had almost disappeared. His muscles were beginning to show definition, and his figure no longer resembled those skinny, clumsy creatures.
"It seems that a daily routine of one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run… really is paying off."
His gaze lowered slightly.
"What a shame I was already bald before I started…" he thought with dark humor.
He frowned for a second, then let out a quiet chuckle.
"Well… the order of the factors doesn't change the result."
Shaking off those trivial thoughts, he washed his face again.
The reason he trained was not purely physical.
He was seeking aura.
He had not forgotten his true objective: to create the Ether Core, the perfect fusion between mana and aura. Even though he still possessed neither core, that did not mean he lacked those energies.
Every living being possessed mana; before condensing into a core, it simply flowed dispersed throughout the body. The same applied to aura: it had to be forged through extreme training until the body learned to generate it naturally.
That was the path of aura warriors.
And César had already taken the first step.
Just as he was catching his breath, he sensed a presence.
Sasha had approached, trying to make as little noise as possible, but her slight limp betrayed her.
The gnoll watched César with a dangerous mix of resentment and poorly concealed desire. She absentmindedly stroked her flat abdomen… and without realizing it, slid her hand down toward her own buttocks.
"Who would have thought that place could also be used…" she thought, a strange blush coloring her face. "Only a lustful goblin would come up with something like that."
Under the shadow of the tree where César trained, an unsettling gleam burned in her eyes. She had not abandoned her desire to bear his children.
He had noticed her from the very first moment.
And unfortunately, he had noticed that look as well.
A chill ran down his spine… followed by a very specific ache at his waist.
"Perhaps hypnotizing her and planting that idea wasn't my best decision," he thought with irritation.
At first, his intention had been to have offspring as soon as possible.
But after his mother explained the magic system to him, he remembered something important and decided to wait until both he and his women formally stepped onto the path of magic.
He wanted to see whether, in that way, his descendants would be born with superior innate talent.
As happened with humans and other demi-human races.
Sasha possessed a surprising amount of mana, even without a core. It was a pity she lacked a proper cultivation system, though that was not unusual. Across the entire continent, only the dark elves and the werewolves possessed that knowledge.
And fortunately, his mother belonged to the latter race.
As he pondered this, his gaze shifted toward another figure.
Lina was also approaching, limping slightly.
As a goblin and companion, she had grown closer to Sasha than César had anticipated.
As he observed Lina's curves, ignoring the heat beginning to build within him, his thoughts drifted to the tragic future of the Devilmen.
Before the appearance of the monster crystals, there had been a small but steady number of demon-human women in each settlement. Everything changed afterward.
"The evil gods moved another piece."
They had ensured eternal enmity between humans and demon-humans, preventing the latter from reproducing freely and forcing them to abduct women of other races.
Though, to be honest, it likely would have happened even without divine intervention. The imbalance between men and women always pushed things in that direction.
The werewolves and the dark elves knew that well.
César returned to the present when he felt the hungry gazes of Sasha and Lina.
In certain respects, both were even more goblin than he was when it came to desire.
Insatiable.
Although he had decided to postpone the idea of having children, that did not mean he had no need to release tension. That was why he had chosen to use the other entrance… the reason behind their limps and their evident dissatisfaction.
"When everything is ready… when I have all the goblins under my command… then I will plan to create an army of children."
With that thought, he returned to his training.
The next day.
"Choose this place."
César's voice was firm as he pointed to a stretch of flat, dry land a short distance from where he had built the wooden hut.
The goblins obeyed without question.
They gathered branches, cut and sharpened them into stakes. The work advanced quickly and efficiently, very different from the usual chaos of a common goblin tribe.
By afternoon, one of his brothers returned with company.
"Chief, I'm back!"
He was the most robust of the group. César had named him Goby. Upon discovering that goblins did not usually have names, he decided to assign them himself to facilitate control… and reinforce hierarchy.
Goby and his group brought with them three rat-women, bound and struggling.
César evaluated their builds and nodded in satisfaction.
"Perfect for breeding."
"Put them in the pen."
The enclosure, built near the wooden house where he, his women, and his mother resided, was surrounded by a reinforced fence. Once the rat were released, they began running desperately, crashing against the structure.
"Good work, Goby," César said calmly.
"You have the right to reproduce first."
The goblin almost trembled with excitement.
"Thank you, Chief!"
He rushed into the pen with unpleasant laughter, while the others watched with open envy.
César merely smiled and shook his head.
Then he turned to look for Sasha and Lina.
As he walked, he noticed something curious: female goblins seemed slightly larger than the males.
An interesting detail.
Recalling Goby's enthusiasm, he frowned. For him, the idea of joining with a rat was simply unbearable.
But his soldiers did not share human thoughts.
They were goblins.
They followed their instincts.
As he approached the wooden house, a memory surfaced in his mind: the first woman he had seen upon arriving in this world.
My mother locked herself away, determined to forge her own path and form her core. I only hope she succeeds this time.
Then a doubt arose.
César narrowed his eyes.
How was it possible that the gnoll attack had not drawn the attention of the Goblin King? That incident had been what motivated him to infiltrate the breeding zones.
And yet… there was still no sign of him.
It was all too strange.
His father.
At the thought of him and his abilities, a fierce smile formed on César's face.
"As his son… I'll have to help him return to the right path."
After all, he could not afford to waste a Goblin King.